These courses will develop the knowledge and skills required for a range of careers working with children, their families and the services that support them. Their professional relevance is demonstrated by the fact that members of the CPD team are from a range of professional backgrounds including education, social work and youth work and are all actively involved in research. Some of the courses will support you to draw on a range of perspectives and disciplines to come to grips with the complex and varied nature of learning, schooling and education and you will be encouraged to share knowledge and be enterprising with your ideas.

Level 4 modules (20 credits)

4CF005 Safeguarding

This module introduces the current debates around safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and encourages you to explore how media, policy and legislation inform safeguarding practice. You will explore the roles and responsibilities of professionals to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults.

4CF002 Child development

This module will develop your knowledge and understanding of child development from birth to eight. There will be a focus on children’s physical, social and emotional development and the role of family and the wider environment.

4CF012 The Role of Play in Childhood

This module will provide you with the opportunity to question and evaluate the role of play in childhood by examining historical and contemporary theories and concepts.

Reflective Practitioner

This module aims to provide an understanding of the links between the development of your professional skills and current research and theory. The focus will be on the reflective assessment of your own knowledge and practice.

Enabling Environments for Children under Three

This module focuses on developing appropriate environments for the holistic development of children up to the age of three. The module will review current thinking about the holistic development of children to age three promoting a view of children as able and competent learners who require enabling supportive contexts to thrive.

4CF009  Developing Professionals

This module aims to increase the understanding, knowledge and practical skills necessary to develop your work with young children. The module focuses on the standards, roles and responsibilities expected to achieve enabling environments in an early years settings.

Supporting Quality (workings with families with complex difficulties)

This module focuses on working with families coping with disadvantage.  You will analyse the needs of disadvantaged children and their families and the role of family support.

Supporting Quality (skills for mentoring)

This module focuses on the mentoring relationship and developing an awareness of your role as a mentor.

Education and Social Justice

This module establishes the links between education and social justice through investigating perceptions of fairness; differential rates of access and achievement; and, through a focus on social and cultural capital and related concepts and ideas.

Education in Europe

This programme of study provides an overview of the educational systems and supporting ideologies that exist within key countries of the European Union. It provides a basis for discussion and debate enabling comparison of the contrasting approaches in the countries under review.

Promoting Inclusive Practice

This module has a focus on how schools, institutions and practitioners may promote inclusive practice in contemporary education

Autism: Themes and Perspectives

This module will enable participants to have a better understanding of the diversity of impairments within the Autistic spectrum. It will also enable those undertaking the programme to develop a theoretical understanding of both autism and the values and principles of inclusive practice, within a range of settings. 

Introduction to Disability, Diversity and Inclusion

As the title suggests, this module introduces key themes and concepts around disability, diversity and inclusion. The programme provides a broad overview which will be helpful to all people involved in education including teachers, teaching assistants, administrators and others.

Supporting Quality (phonics and early reading with literacy)

This module explores the development of language and literacy in children birth to eight bringing together these inter-related areas that are fundamental to children’s development including early reading and phonic skills.  You will also explore ways of developing inclusive practices for children who experience difficulties with communication, language and literacy.

Supporting Quality (schematic learning and mathematical development)

The module will integrate of studies of patterns of children’s growing understanding of maths, science, with aspects of cognitive growth such as memory, schema, dispositions and scaffolding.

Supporting Quality (assessment and planning in EYFS with KS1)

This will explore approaches to planning and assessment, including pupil tracking, in KS1 and the EYFS.  You will also gain understanding of the challenges faced by practitioners when planning and assessing.

Levels 5 and 6 CPD opportunities

Leading Quality

The module aims to increase the understanding, knowledge and practical skills necessary to develop your leadership in relation to supporting enabling environments for young children’s development.  Developing your competence and confidence as a reflective practitioner as well as opportunities to enhance your communication skills and work effectively as part of a team.

Evaluating Curricula Frameworks

This module will increase your knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage for children aged birth to five and the primary National Curriculum in England and evaluate key theories, pioneers and research of curricula frameworks and pedagogical approaches to the curriculum and their influences upon the curriculum design.

5CF015 The Early Years Teacher in Practice

This module aims to increase the understanding, knowledge and practical skills necessary to develop your work with babies, young children and their families. The module will include issues about the importance of creating healthy environment, and the practical skills of implementing planned activities for children’s identified needs.

5CF016 Health in the Early Years

The module will include issues about the importance of creating healthy environment, and the practical skills of implementing planned activities for children’s identified needs.

The policy and Practice of Learning and Teaching

This programme has a focus on policy and practice in the area of modern day learning, teaching and assessment. The module includes opportunities to discuss and debate issues around pedagogical practices in present-day education.

Understanding Curriculum

This module examines the nature of school curricula, and in the process explores the ways in which educational and political ideologies influence the conception of a curriculum and classroom practices. A particular aim is to investigate how such ideologies impact on the nature of knowledge, pedagogy and assessment.

Including Young Children

During this programme you will examine some recent and current contextual issues, policies and practices relating to including and supporting young children with various special educational needs and disabilities.

You will have opportunity to explore the concept of early intervention, the issue of partnership with parents, opportunities and challenges associated with multi-agency practices and the role of the current EYFS curriculum framework in developing more inclusive early childcare and educational practices for young children.

Pedagogies for Inclusion

In this module you will focus on specific teaching and learning issues relating to educational experiences of children with complex development and learning needs. You will explore the notion of ‘difference’ and associated theoretical dilemmas in an educational context and critically analyse a range of perspectives underpinning this issue.

Education in Challenging Contexts

This module aims to introduce you to issues in relation to learning and teaching in challenging settings. Particular attention will be given to ‘challenging’ and 'effective' urban schools, as well as the improvement strategies that enhance academic achievement in a range of contexts. You are encouraged to analyse the role of learners, educators, and other stakeholders; as well as the impact of external factors such as environment and poverty.

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